Reading: Luke 2:1-21

 Luke 2:19 tells us,

“Mary pondered these things in her heart.”

 The amplified version of the Bible tells us:

“But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart.”

 To ponder means to weight in the mind, to think on…to reflect.

John 1:14 ,

“and the word became flesh and dwelt among them.”

The Word became flesh…and Mary cradled it in her arms…She treasured it. She pondered it, every developing event, every word spoken as she witnessed this astounding event transpiring before her – and there she sat matching this piece with this, and that piece with that, and then moving things around to see how this piece worked with that piece, and that piece went with this piece. She marveled how it all seamlessly, and beautifully worked together, and it did so before her very own eyes.

We are in the midst of the Christmas season. A time of year when we enjoy beautiful dinners, and programs purposed to honor this wonderful time of year. We work tirelessly to uphold Christmas traditions, spend endless hours searching for the perfect gifts. We plan the perfect meal, and spend time with the ones we love. We do all of these wonderfully necessary things, things that have a way of competing for our focus and our own needed time to sit and ponder this meaningful season weighting in our own minds packing and unpacking it all allowing it to lead us to the richness of the season, a season filled with abundance – abundance in truth, joy, hope…love

 Remembering…remembering, God’s word, the Old Testament’s prophetic events, Mary’s powerful encounter with the angel Gabriel, Elizabeth – the shepherds…Words, events, and encounters that we like Mary, can cradle in our arms, treasure in our hearts, and marvel over as we celebrate the unfolding of the most beautiful love story this world will ever know, as the Word became flesh…

 So let us take time…let us think on…and let us reflect.